In His Time

In His time, He makes all things beautiful, in His time. Lord, please show me everyday, as You're teaching me Your way, that You do just what You say, in Your time.

Lyrics by Diana Ball

What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.

Ecclesiastes 3: 9-14

Jag Shanti Udayan Ghar, a small orphanage located in the suburb of Nodia on the outskirts of Delhi, is home to 35 children who have been abandoned by their families. Mrs. Kiran Modi, cares for them daily and will be hosting me during my visit next month. The following is the typical 6 day-a-week schedule:

7:00 Wake up - Tea

8:00 - 9:00 Breakfast: help with preparation and feeding & basic hygiene

9:00 - 2:00 School: walk to school, English lessons

2:00 - 3:00 Lunch

3:00 - 4:00 Playtime: cultural exchange, games, arts & crafts

4:00 - 7:00 Assist teachers /computers, tutoring & homework

7:00 - 8:00 Dinner: cooking and cleaning

8:00 Sleep

These girls are learning not only household skills but are being given an education; an advantage not every child, specifically females, are afforded in Indian society. While Mrs. Modi can care for only a few on a daily basis, the orphanage is widely recognized for its work in the child welfare sector due to its continued outreach to those children unable to be housed within its walls.

The more I learn the more daunting the task seems. I have no idea how to prepare. A few months ago my friend Leslie left for the Ukraine to minister to the orphans there. She did little research and left very much unaware of what to expect. She later said she was glad that she had not been influenced prior to her visit - it allowed her to simple sit back and take everything in. Years ago I visited Haiti and still remember the all-encompassing poverty. I can still smell the decay, feel the dust and dirt and I know that it is worse today than it was 20 years ago when I was there. I wonder if I would be better off not having any expectations of what is to come or if the knowledge of just how destitute the people are will make the transition smoother and keep the shock at bay.

Maybe it is providential that India has not quite made it into the super computer age. (A google of Nodia, India produces very little. As an obsessive planner, it is killing me to have so little control!)